Germany's hopes of luring Otto Rehhagel to be national coach appear to be on the rise after the president of the Greek football association admitted he could not force Rehhagel to stay in charge of the European champions. Vassilis Gagatsis claimed on Wednesday that Rehhagel would stay in charge until the 2006 World Cup, but he is now speaking about the matter with far less certainty. He said: "The coach's contract runs until 2006 and we want to continue our excellent co-operation until the World Cup. "But if the coach gives personal reasons to end our co-operation, then we can't hold him against his will. "That's an eventuality that we can't rule out." Germany's Bild newspaper claimed Rehhagel has already spoken to Franz Beckenbauer, who is assisting the German FA as they seek to find a replacement. But the Greeks still retain some optimism that Rehhagel will continue to work with the team he guided to a surprise victory in Euro 2004. "I believe from frequent discussions with him that he is prepared to stay on the bench of the Greek national team and continue his work for the next two years," added Gagatsis. Rehhagel is currently spending time visiting relatives in the north of Germany before going on holiday with his family on the North Sea island of Sylt.